Steady Hands
by monkeygirl77
Summary: Gabriel gets attacked by a few of his pagan friends and he finds help in the most unexpected place. From the most unexpected person.


Gabriel cursed, using language he knew if his older brothers ever heard him use they would surely wash his mouth out with nasty soap, reaching out blindly for a threaded needle he had placed on his nightstand.

It was going to hurt like a bitch but he really couldn't go running around with his insides turned into outsides, now could he?

Screaming as he tried to pierce the skin to sew it back together his hand started shaking too hard. This was why he was _not_ the healer, he didn't deal with pain, his own or anothers, at all. Not in the slightest.

He loved his job as the Messenger with a deep rooted passion.

"Damn it! Son of a bitch! Just made it worse!"

"That is because your hand is not steady, you shake too much, like this."

A hand moved his off the needle and pulled it back, "Is this...? Is this a _sewing_ needle?"

Gabriel looked up sheepishly and nodded.

"Honestly, Gabriel if you needed help you could have just asked for it."

The tone was stern and the scolding stung. It felt awesome. His older brother waved a hand over the needle and it curved cleanly, the sewing thread replaced with surgical grace lined thread.

"Why didn't you call for me? I would have come if you asked."

This time he looked down ashamed of himself, "I didn't think you'd want to."

"Why ever not? You are injured."

"I thought you'd hate me still."

Raphael sighed through his nose slowly, leaning down to lift his chin up with a gentle finger, "I never hated you, angry at you? sure, but never hated you. You are my younger brother and if you need help merely call, alright?"

Gabriel most definitely does not sniffle and his older brother most certainly does not wipe his knuckle softly under his eyes to collect the tears that were totally not falling.

"This is going to sting."

"You mean more then it does already?"

"Tone."

It was short and sharp but he'd missed such reprimands so much. Raphael was not like his other older brothers, where they would hold onto such things for as long as they could and often times remind him about it over and over again, Raphael was different, more kindhearted and compassionate. He'd scold once, meaningfully, and often more times then not it was one word scoldings too. He was an angel who could get his point across very easily with few words, and once he did it was as good as forgotten about.

"Sorry."

"It is of no matter, you are hurt, it is not a time to be watching your tone. I understand."

It also serves to show how much he actually cares when he apologizes before sticking the needle into his stomach, sewing the gash up. Gabriel grit his teeth at the small pinch every few moments as his older brother stuck the surgical needle in again and again and again.

"Just a few more, little brother, hold steady now."

"Ouch!"

"Apologies."

He gripped the blankets on his bed and hissed as it got to the end and his brother knotted the thread and snipped it.

"There, it should heal cleanly in a few weeks to come, now why don't you tell me how you came about such an injury."

Gabriel grunted as his older brother set his things aside and sat next to him on the bed, lightly pulling his shirt back down over the wound.

"Well..."

The elder raised an eyebrow, Raphael rubbed a hand down his back comfortingly and hummed deep in his chest, smiling down at him softly.

"Come little brother, you know there is nothing you could do to make me so angered I would disown you, tell me what happened so I may help."

"Well the others-"

"It was another living being who did this to you?"

"Odin was mad."

"I thought the Norse Pagans were your friends."

Gabriel nodded and leaned into his older brothers shoulder, the Healer rubbed a hand over the top of his hair and rested their heads together, "They are."

"Then why would they harm you so horridly, that is not a healthy friendship."

"I know but, well, they're the only ones who like me."

Warm lips pressed to the side of his head and Gabriel closed his eyes at the feeling.

"Now that's not true. I happen to enjoy your presense very much."

"You do?"

"You are my baby brother, of course I enjoy spending time with you. Come back with me?"

"Only you?"

Raphael chuckled, "Just me."

He considered it.

"Stay with me?"

"For as long as you need."


End file.
